Aug 27, 2008

Canine cards fetch laughs, salesBy Alexa StanardDetNews.com

Need to express a special sentiment to someone? Consider allowing Denali the dog to communicate on your behalf.

Madalyn Ruggiero, an Ohio-based freelance photographer whose work appears frequently in Metro Detroit publications, has launched a line of greeting cards featuring her golden retriever, Denali, in assorted outlandish costumes.

Twenty stores in five states now sell the cards emblazoned with images of the unflappable-looking dog in such guises as a nun, a Christmas present and an elderly woman.

“I’m flying by the seat of my pants,” Ruggiero said of her business. “But if my cards make people smile, make people laugh, it’s worth it.”

Ruggiero started making the cards to send as Christmas greetings in 2001, after getting Denali in October. She took Denali to a studio, wrapped a red bow around his neck and snapped his picture.

“It was very simple,” Ruggiero said. “I would do yearly cards. Sometimes I would dress him in goggles, or something. After a while, my family and friends told me I had to do something with it.”

The picture that sealed Denali’s photogenic appeal for Ruggiero’s loved ones was her 2006 Christmas card of the retriever wrapped in a gift box. It took a week to coax Denali into the box, but eventually he consented. The result persuaded Ruggiero to start looking for ways to sell the cards, which now number about 15 styles.

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